Hong Kong film: Rise of Prison Break

It was three o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun was beginning to set.

Argyle Street, Kowloon, West Kowloon Regional Police Station.

Zhang Wenjie, dressed in tattered rags that were barely better than a beggar's clothes, walked boldly into the police station with his shirt off (his original clothes were long gone).

Such ostentation, coupled with the impact of his imposing appearance, immediately attracted the wary gaze of the uniformed police officers at the entrance.

He walked straight to the reception area of ​​the Major Crimes Unit's office, and raised his voice at a young police officer who was engrossed in writing a report and had a particularly prominent nose:

"Officer, I'm here to turn myself in!"

The sound was particularly clear in the somewhat noisy office area, and several police officers behind nearby desks looked up.

Upon hearing this, the big-nosed man who called himself "Chen Jiaju" suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze instantly scanning Zhang Wenjie from head to toe.

His body tensed slightly, and his left hand subtly gripped the back of the wooden chair next to him—an instinctive reaction to be ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

"Confess? What did you do?" Chen Jiaju stood up, his voice steady and scrutinizing.

"Assault on police on Haitang Street"

Zhang Wenjie lowered his head, deliberately lowering his voice, conveying a sense of "regret" and "fear," perfectly portraying a lost young man who had made a grave mistake due to a momentary impulse and was now turning himself in, burdened by his conscience.

"Assault on a police officer on Haitang Street?!"

"It's him?!"

A few low gasps rippled through the office area.

The recent attack on a police officer on Hoi Tong Street, which resulted in the officer being seriously injured and placed in the ICU, has been widely reported by the media, putting immense pressure on the police force and making it a key case for the West Kowloon Regional Crime Unit.

"Crouch down! Immediately crouch down with your hands behind your head!" Chen Jiaju's expression changed, and he shouted sharply, while his body darted out like a cheetah!

He braced himself against the desk in front of him with one hand, and his agile figure drew a smooth arc in the air, as if he was about to pounce directly over the desk!

"Whoosh—" Several quick-reacting officers from the Major Crimes Unit nearby also immediately stood up, their hands on their waists.

However, Chan Ka-kui was not given the chance to perform this beautiful "hurdles" maneuver.

Zhang Wenjie very "cooperatively" raised his hands, his face perfectly displaying "fear" and "submission," and slowly and obediently squatted down, muttering, "Don't shoot... officer... I'll confess... I'll confess..."

Chen Jiaju landed, swiftly pulled out handcuffs, and with a "click," handcuffed Zhang Wenjie's hands behind his back. The whole process was clean and efficient.

He frowned, glanced at the unusually "docile" Zhang Wenjie, and felt that something was not quite right.

But the person was already under control, and since the other party had come to surrender, he didn't say anything more in front of everyone.

"Take him away! To Interrogation Room Number One!"

The interrogation room had four white walls, only a fixed iron table and two chairs, a stark white fluorescent light overhead, and a surveillance camera hanging in the corner.

Chen Jiaju slammed a document on the table, his brow furrowed.

He had just conducted a preliminary questioning of Zhang Wenjie, who "confessed" to the time, place, and even some details of the assault on the police officer, with clear logic and a "sincere" attitude.

But it was precisely this excessive smoothness and cooperation that made Chen Jiaju, who was handling the case based on passion and intuition, feel uneasy.

This doesn't seem like a madman who committed a serious crime on impulse, nor does it seem like a vicious gang thug.

It looks like...

An actor who has memorized the script.

"Say it again, what did you do on Haitang Street around 10 p.m. on July 12th?" Chen Jiaju stared into Zhang Wenjie's eyes, trying to find a flaw.

Zhang Wenjie lowered his head, looking at the handcuffs on his wrists, and repeated the "confession" in a flat voice: "I had some drinks with a few brothers, and when we passed by Haitang Street, we saw a policeman checking licenses. I was in a bad mood, so... I rushed up and hit him with a brick from the roadside..."

Chen Jiaju slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly!

He grabbed the statement record from the table, his face ashen, and slammed the door shut as he stormed out!

"Bang!" The heavy iron door of the interrogation room made a loud noise.

Inside the observation room, separated by a one-way glass partition, smoke filled the air.

Senior Inspector Tung Piu, with a half-smoked cigarette between his teeth, watched Chan Ka-kui's angry departure outside, then looked through the glass at the unusually "quiet" young man in the interrogation room, head bowed and silent. He shook his head and flicked off a bit of cigarette ash.

Hurried footsteps and a young voice suppressing anger came from outside the door: "Uncle Biao! That guy in the interrogation room, he..."

"Ka-Kui," Tung Piu interrupted him, his voice steady, even a little tired, "The man in the interrogation room is the suspect in the Haitang Street police assault case. He turned himself in, his statement was clear, and he admitted to his crime. We acted according to the law, collected evidence, and transferred him to the prosecution. It's that simple."

What problem could Chen Jiaju see that Dong Biao, who had spent most of his life in the police force and had seen it all, couldn't see?

He could tell at a glance that the kid sitting inside was almost certainly a scapegoat pushed out to take the blame.

But that's the unwritten rule of the underworld, and sometimes it's an "unspoken rule".

Someone is willing to step forward and take all the blame so that the case can be closed quickly, providing an explanation to superiors, subordinates, the media, and society.

The deeper you investigate, the more complicated and troublesome things often become.

"But Uncle Biao! This is clearly..." Chen Jiaju's blood boiled, and he wanted to argue.

He could not accept this "muddying the waters" approach.

"Ka-Kui!" Tung Piu emphasized, turned around, looked at his capable but angular subordinate, and softened his voice.

"The higher-ups are pushing hard for this case, and the media is watching it every day. Now that someone has turned themselves in, if the chain of evidence matches up, closing the case as soon as possible will be good for everyone."

He took two steps closer, patted Chen Jiaju on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "This credit goes to you. I know you want to catch the real culprit, but sometimes things aren't black and white. Let's get through the procedures first, okay?"

Chen Jiaju's chest heaved, his fists clenched and unclenched, and looking into Dong Biao's unwavering gaze, he finally gritted his teeth, pressed his heels together, and whispered, "Yes, Sir!"

"Good!" Dong Biao smiled. "Go down and complete the transfer procedures to the detention center, prepare the materials, and wait for the court to schedule the hearing. Do a good job, Uncle Biao has faith in you."

Watching Chen Jiaju's unwilling yet helpless departure, Dong Biao sighed and shook his head.

These hotheads are brave and decisive, making them excellent at charging into battle. However, they are too impulsive and inflexible, often suffering setbacks in the complex world of the police force and the underworld, making it difficult for them to achieve great things.

He turned his head and looked back at the interrogation room.

Behind the one-way glass, Zhang Wenjie remained sitting quietly.

But Dong Biao had a keen eye. He noticed that the corners of the young man's mouth seemed to curve upwards in an extremely subtle way.

Am I seeing things?